RRHX
Station: Ashley, MI
Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Union Station in Ashley, Michigan, in Gratiot County. This station was apparently used by both the Ann Arbor Railroad, and the branch of the Grand Trunk Western which went west from here to Muskegon. [Alan Loftis Collection]. Below, the depot in 1972. [Charles Geletzke, Jr.] |
 |
The Village of Ashley was originally platted in 1883 and was incorporated in 1887. It was named for John M. Ashley, promoter and builder of the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad.
What later became the Ann Arbor Railroad was in place by 1884, and in 1886 the GTW line west from Ashley to Muskegon was built. [MPN]
Comment from M. Tody: I went to school in Ashley from 1963 to 1970 and remember watching the Greenville local every day. It had to stop while they lined the switch off the Ann Arbor main line. This train was usually powered by GTW 1950 or 1951 (RS-1's). These were the last RS-1's produced by ALCO. There was usually an old GTW wood caboose on this train. Ann Arbor Railroad trains were more frequent in Ashley and had 3-4 orange GP-38's.
Comments from Doug Hefty: In the mid-1960's, the Ann Arbor Railroad still used Alco units. Usually the train from Frankfort, FT-4 I believe, would come through mid-afternoon. The GTW Greenville local would often be just ahead of or follow FT-4 to Owosso. The GTW line was dispatched by telegraph and the local would get two sets of orders at Ashley, one from the Ann Arbor dispatcher to run to Owosso Jct. and one from the Grand Trunk Western dispatcher to run from Owosso Jct. to Durand. The Ann Arbor operator communicated with the dispatcher by phone line, but messages were via telegraph.